Computer virtualization is a technique that involves encapsulating a computing machine platform into a virtual machine (VM) that is executed under the control of virtualization software running on a hardware computing platform (also referred to herein as “host server” or “host”). A group of hardware computing platforms may be organized as a cluster to provide resources for VMs. In a data center, it is common to see hundreds, even thousands, of VMs running on multiple clusters of host servers.
A virtual infrastructure (VI) administrator may use virtualization management software to manage virtual machine configurations and computing resource allocations. One feature of the virtualized computing environment controlled by the virtualization management software is virtual networking VMs can be created with software-based virtual network adapters that are logically connected to a virtual switch that may be further connected to physical network adapters installed in the host computer. In turn, the physical network adapters can be coupled to physical switches. Some of the ports of a physical switch can be assigned to one or more virtual local area networks (VLANs) defined in the physical network (e.g., to implement a traffic isolation scheme).
Namespace-based application containers may be connected to a physical network in a manner similar to that of virtual machines. A namespace-based (or any other type) application container is an isolated execution space provided by an operating system to an application. Multiple containers may be provided by a single operating system instance running within a virtual machine or directly on a physical computer. Each container may be provided with its own network address, with the host operating system functioning as a virtual switch to provide communication between multiple containers on the same host and between containers and the outside world.
One approach for managing virtual network connections in data centers with a large number of VMs running on multiple host servers is the “distributed virtual switch” (DVSwitch) described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,195,774, incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. A DVSwitch permits virtual switches on multiple host servers to be managed as if ports of those virtual switches belonged to a single switch, the DVSwitch. The DVSwitch may have uplinks which connect to physical network adapters, as well as VM ports which provide connections for VMs. Some of the VM ports on the DVSwitch (or groups of the VM ports) can be assigned to a particular VLANs defined in the physical network (e.g., to comply with a defined traffic isolation scheme).
When a new host is added to the cluster, physical network adapters (also referred to herein as “network interface cards” (NICs) or “physical network interface cards” (PNICs)) of the new host may be connected with Ethernet cables to physical switches. Further, a NIC can be connected to a port of a physical switch assigned to a particular VLAN. Because servers and networks are typically administered by separate teams who may be located in different places, the network administrator may connect NICs of the new host to physical switches and notify the VI administrator that the new host has been added to the network. However, in order for the VI administrator to be able to configure the virtual network properly, additional information about the physical network configuration may be required. For example, to properly connect the NICs of the new host with a DVSwitch, the VI administrator needs to know which NICs are connected to which VLANs in order to comply with the traffic isolation scheme currently in place. Typically, the VI administrator must file a ticket with the network administrator to obtain such additional information, which adds undesirable delay to the virtual network configuration process. For example, the network administrator may take 1-2 business days or longer to answer the ticket with the required information, especially when the VI administrator and network administrator are in different geographic locations.